"It is late," Carney said after the vote, which took place at 11:30 PM. "Here we are rushing to make these kind of decisions this time of night."

Her efforts to change the vote were rebuffed by Republican House Speaker Thom Tillis, who pointed out that North Carolina's House does not allow members to switch their vote if such an action "would affect the bill's passage."

"I feel rotten, and I feel tired," the 67-year-old told reporters at a midnight press conference. "And I feel that mistakes are made constantly when people are tired. And I feel rotten about it, but I take responsibility for my vote." The Senate approved an override of Gov. Perdue's earlier in the day.